Nutrition Overview

In order to sustain life, we consume food, which contains nutrients, which supply energy and building materials to our cells. Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins are called macronutrients. Smaller quantities of micronutrients are also required. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. In addition to nutrients, a healthy diet contains water, fiber, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and signaling molecules. A diet composed of a combination of natural foods can supply all of the necessary macronutrients and fiber, as well as many of the micronutrients and antioxidants. Dietary supplements can be purchased which provide additional vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, and antioxidants. Especially important are vitamins D, C, and E, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), and alpha-Lipoic acid.

Research into aging and longevity is indicating that lifespan might be increased and aging might be slowed by following a diet which is very low in calories, but contains enough micronutrients and extra plant polyphenols and antioxidants. This is referred to as "calorie restriction", "CR", "dietary restriction", or "DR". At least CR and exercise can reduce excess accumulations of harmful fat.

It is worth remembering that individual people may differ somewhat in their needs and in their ability to assimilate various foods and supplements. Optimal dose probably varies with age, weight, gender, and genetic background. It is important to pay attention to your own body as you experiment with your diet and lifestyle.

Good Foods

Foods in the following list are especially beneficial to eat frequently, because they are very high in antioxidants, nutrients, or cancer-preventing components:

Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) contain fiber and glucoraphanin, believed to aid in preventing some types of cancer. Broccoli is also a good source of lysine, an essential amino acid. Furthermore, broccoli contains sulforaphane, which increases levels of phase 2 enzymes in liver cells.

Tomatoes (cooked or raw) and tomato sauce contain fiber and carotenoids including lycopene and beta carotene. They are also high in vitamins C and B-complex. Carotenoids are oil-soluble anti-oxidants. Cooking tomatoes with olive oil makes the lycopene much more available to your body.

Colored berries, such as Blueberries, strawberries, purple grapes, cranberries, elderberries, wolfberries (goji), and other fresh or frozen fruits contain antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, polyphenol signaling molecules, fiber, and vitamins. Berries which have been cooked must be eaten right away or they lose their potency.

Green tea, white tea, and black tea (Freshly prepared; not bottled or canned) are very high in antioxidant polyphenols that can cross the blood-brain barrier. These polyphenols also chelate excess iron, which provides further protection from oxidative stress. Tea is also a source of manganese.

Allium vegetables: (garlic, onions, scallions) (raw or barely cooked) are reportedly beneficial to the cardiovascular system and may prevent some cancers.

Spinach (cooked or raw) is high in antioxidants, folic acid, and lutein. It may be the highest food source of lipoyllysine (13 micrograms/g dry weight), which is a natural variation of alpha-Lipoic-acid.

Tofu and tempeh are high protein foods made from soybeans. Tofu is a good source of lysine, an essential amino acid. Soy activates cancer-fighting genes.

Salmon or Salmon oil. Salmon oil is very high in long-chain, essential omega-3 fatty acids (EFA and DHA), because the salmon live in cold water. They are not top predator fish, so they do not have so much mercury in them. Vegetarians can avoid salmon and obtain the benefits of essential omega-3 fatty acids by eating plenty of flax oil and freshly ground flax seed.

Nutritional yeast (such as Red Star or Milwaukee Food Yeast) is a good source of B-vitamins and chromium.

Turmeric (Indian spice) contains curcumin, which has antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities. It seems to be helpful for inflamed joints and tendons, such as arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Turmeric also appears to help fight off colon cancer and prevent Alzheimer's dementia. Turmeric absorption and utilization is enhanced by eating it with oily foods, and by combining with a small amount of black pepper in the same meal. [Shoba]

Black pepper contains piperine, which increases the gastrointestinal assimilation of other supplements and drugs [Shoba]. It is also an antineoplastic agent [MeSH].

Vinegar with a meal helps to slow the conversion of starches into simple sugars. This can reduce the spike in blood sugar and insulin after eating starches. Cinnamon with a meal is also helpful in regulating blood sugar levels.

Recipes on the Web

Foods and Drugs to Avoid

MSG or Monosodium glutamate may be neurotoxic for some people, especially infants.

Aspartame or NutraSweet may be neurotoxic for some people, especially infants.

Hydrogenated vegetable oils are even worse for your heart and cardiovascular system than saturated fats in meat and dairy because hydrogenation produces trans-fatty acids, which cause atheroscelerosis.

Iron supplementation should generally be avoided unless prescribed for iron-deficiency anemia. Iron promotes oxidation and free-radical damage to cells and membranes. Iron may interfere with the absorption of other vitamins. A balanced diet of natural foods provides plenty of iron for most people. If you take supplementary iron, do NOT mix it with your vitamins. Children are especially vulnerable to brain damage from excess iron.

Acetaminophen, paracetamol, or Tylenol is a liver toxin. It is especially dangerous in high doses or when taken on the same day as alcohol.

The herb, comfrey, contains toxic chemicals that harm the liver and may be carcinogenic.

Tobacco smoke generates free radicals in the blood and in the lungs, promoting the development of several diseases, including:

Cardiovascular diseases, hardened arteries, and heart attacks;

Lung cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer;

Emphysema;

Blindness from macular degeneration.

Dietary Supplements

A good diet of healthy foods can be augmented by purchasing dietary supplements, which provide additional vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, and antioxidants. Especially important are vitamins D, C, and E, NAC, and alpha-Lipoic acid. If you want to know what I am personally taking in my ongoing self-experimentation, and where I buy them, click here ==> [ John Furber's Supplement List ].

Supplement Storage: For long-term storage, freshness is best preserved by freezing. However, opening a cold jar of powder or pills will cause immediate moisture condensation from the air, quickly ruining the contents. So any jar which has been frozen must be allowed at least an hour to come to room temperature before opening it. I keep about a two-week supply of everything at room temperature, so that I can refill my daily supply each morning. Everything else goes in the freezer.

It's a good idea to put a few silica gel packets into your supplement bottles to help keep the contents dry. You can bake the packets in an oven for an hour at 210 F to redry then and reuse them. You can find sources by Googling silica desiccant, or you can reuse packets from the vitamins you buy.

Nutrition Information Sources

You can educate yourself by visiting your local public library and medical school library. And you can learn about medical research results and current scientific thinking in the field by searching the online databases for relevant biomedical journal articles:

PubMed provides access to the Medline database of Biomedical journal articles maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University was co-founded in 1973 by Linus Pauling. The institute's mission includes "to determine the function and role of micronutrients, vitamins and phytochemicals in promoting optimum health and preventing and treating disease; to determine the role of oxidative and nitrative stress and antioxidants in human health and disease." They have an informative website at http://lpi.orst.edu

The Vitamin Research Products site has a library of review articles on the benefits of various dietary supplements, although there may be a pro-supplement bias because VRP profits from the sale of supplements.

Juvenon has information about acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-Lipoic acid, which are contained in their "Juvenon Energy Formula". http://www.juvenon.com/

Nutrition: A Reference Handbook, by David A. Bender and Arnold E. Bender (Oxford University Press) 1997, is a very useful reference book.

I have compiled a detailed, 20-page report, "Nutrition, Diet, and Supplements for Peak Physical & Mental Performance." In it, detailed descriptions are provided for each ingredient, with references to an extensive bibliography of books and journal articles. It also lists the least expensive sources of quality ingredients, suggests how to mix them, and the best times of day to take them. Additional information is provided on proteins, amino acids, fats, carbohydrates, and hormones. To obtain a copy of the latest version, please send a check or money order for $ 4 per copy plus $4 per order t o c o v e r p o s t a g e a n d h a n d l i n g to my address at the bottom of this page.

Pauling, Linus. How to Live Longer and Feel Better. (WH Freeman/Avon 1986) Pauling discusses Nutrition, Orthomolecular medicine, EDTA, chelation. He suggests vitamins C, E, A, and B, minerals Zn, Ca, Fe, I, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mb, Cr, and Se, low sucrose diet, exercise, drink plenty of water. "Work at a job you like. Be happy with your family." Pauling believed we are safer to use vitamins and nutrients that our bodies have evolved with, rather than drugs and plant substances that our bodies are not used to. I do not find this argument persuasive, and in fact, Pauling himself favored EDTA chelation therapy, which we have not evolved with, after he read scientific studies of the use of this powerful chemical.

Personal Consultations

If you would like help with your literature search, or personalized explanations of the research papers and what they mean, you can call on me for assistance. I charge an hourly rate of $100. You can decide how much of my time you wish to use, and how much research you want to do on your own. If convenient, we can meet in person. Otherwise, we can work by telephone, Fax, and email.